Turkey Hunting Video

This is a short video I threw together of my buddy Tom's turkey hunt on opening day of the 2010 Indiana spring turkey season last week. This hunt takes place in northeast Indiana at the Fawn River Deer Camp where there is an abundance of wild turkeys. I've counted as many as 50 birds together at a time on the property on several occasions.

Now, I should mention that when Tom and I hunt together things don't get too serious. I usually send most of my time in the blind laughing too hard to get anything done. This here isn't your TV style of hunting video. Since this is our first attempt Tom didn't get too crazy, and I didn't have to cut out too much in the editing room. I originally had some more creative titles to put in this clip, but opted for something a little more conservative.

Due to my wife being on the verge of going into labor at any time, Tom and I only had one day to get a hunt on film, so he settled on shooting a jake early that morning. The next morning another hunter took a tom with a 10.5-inch beard and 1.25-inch spurs out of the exact same spot.

From my car

Ok, well, I have to say that being stuck at home for most of the last six weeks about drove me batty, so I went out last week and drove around town looking for spots to shoot something, anything just to get a camera back in my hands. So I took pictures of birds, some common, some not so common, and even the first bald eagle to reside in our part of Indiana for 90 years. The point is I got out shooting again.

Here are a few photos that I shot from the front seat of my car, well, my 4x4. But due to my limited mobility after surgery, I had to let the car do the walking for me.

Changes are Coming

During the last several weeks I've been out of commission after having hip replacement surgery in February. For a good portion of that time my mobility was, well, non-existent. Except for my trips to physical therapy appointments there was little else I could do other than watch movies and surf the internet. So it goes without saying that I spent a lot of time on the web.

During that time a few things became clear to me. I came to the conclusion that my days working for a newspaper are numbered. The industry as a whole is falling apart, I work for an afternoon paper, which are nearly extinct, and corporate policies dictate that when profit margins don't meet double digit expectations, content producers - not managers - lose their jobs. I've worked hard to increase my personal value by taking on writing duties and producing multimedia projects to boost my story-telling skills. I leaned when the last round of job cuts came along, my boss tossed my name in the ring. His boss, recognizing all that I do for our newspaper, overrode that decision. So, my extra efforts saved my job, but for how long, really? I will be prepared for the inevitability that next time, I won't be so lucky.

In light of the previous revelation the next thing that became clear to me is that I really need to work on my footprint on the world wide web. I purchased a flash-based website template and put together a website PickChad.com that was functional, but nothing special. The purpose was to get my name out there with the hopes of landing the occasional freelance job. I had some assignments roll in, but I learned that other people in my area were getting jobs that I was never considered for. Problem is, editors couldn't find me, and if they can't find me they can't at least consider hiring me. This blog has helped seriously in that regard, but only for those searching me by name. It became time for a new plan.

I have begun work on a new website that will be a total solution that comprises the main site, the ability to search and purchase images from my entire archive and the blog all rolled into one comprehensive package. Though the site is not yet live, it's home will be RyanVisuals.com.

So, now the quest is to prepare myself for the transition from staff photographer to independent contractor, offering services producing still photographs, audio slideshows and video productions for both editorial and commercial clients. I look forward to and embrace these new challenges.

One other thing that became clear is that I can't wait to get back to shooting, because I just can't handle sitting around.

More to come ...

Going on the DL for awhile

One week ago today, I stepped off the jet that brought me home from shooting my second Super Bowl, a 31-17 victory for the New Orleans Saints over the Indianapolis Colts. Today, however, I took my first steps in a hospital room a day after receiving a brand new replacement hip. Originally, I was supposed to have a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery, but once the surgeon got on the inside he determined that my hip socket was too far gone to save it.



This will be quite a transition for me being on the disabled list for 2-3 months since I am generally very active, but I'm told things will be a lot better when I'm back to 100 percent.



I'll plan to post new material once I get back to shooting again, but I'm not sure when that will be. Take care and thanks for stopping by.

Hockey fight video

OK, this is shameless, but in an attempt to rebuild my hit count back up to a solid 15 readers a day, I'm posting this short video clip of two fights from the Fort Wayne Komets' 4-2 win over the Muskegon Lumberjacks on Saturday, January 9. In the first fight, it's Fort Wayne's Lincoln Kaleigh Schrock taking on Muskegon's Russ Smith. Then about 15 game minutes later Smith goes up against Fort Wayne's Brad MacMillan. It wasn't Smith's night.

I am still alive

Wow! I haven't posted in a ridiculously long time, and I'm not even going to throw out excuses. But here is a photo that I made last week for an outdoor story I wrote. It's nothing special, but I just like the image. I will definitely get more pics up in the next few days.

Athletes of the Year

Here are my portraits of The News-Sentinel Prep Sports Athletes and Coach of the Year for the 2008-2009 school year.



_{July 2, 2009 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - North Side's Aris Allen was named the Prep Sports Boys Athlete of the Year. Allen played for the Redskins football team, was a state finalist wrestler, and won the state championship in the shot-put event at the track and field state championships.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

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_{July 2, 2009 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - South Side basketball player Sydney Weinert was named the Prep Sports girls athlete of thee year. Weinert also played tennis and was the high jumper for the Archers' track and field team.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

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_{July 2, 2009 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - North Side's Aris Allen was named the Prep Sports Boys Athlete of the Year. Allen played for the Redskins football team, was a state finalist wrestler, and won the state championship in the shot-put event at the track and field state championships.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

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_{July 2, 2009 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - South Side basketball player Sydney Weinert was named the Prep Sports girls athlete of thee year. Weinert also played tennis and was the high jumper for the Archers' track and field team.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

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_{June 24, 2009 - Fort Wayne, Ind. - After leading his girls basketball team to a Class 3A state championship early this year and the first for any sport at Elmhurst, coach Mark Redding has been named The News-Sentinel's 2008-2009 Prep Sports Coach of the Year.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

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US National Championship Swimming

I spent Tuesday shooting the ConocoPhillips U.S. National Championships and World Championship Trials at the Indiana University Natatorium on the campus of IUPUI in Indianapolis. It was a good time, but was reminded of just how hard it can be to stay focused when you're seriously sleep-deprived. I rolled into Indy Tuesday morning on a solid 2.5 hours of sleep and averaged about 4 hours per night for the last week or so. My assignment was to photograph and write about a couple of local swimmers who competed and to get some photos of the Olympians.



_{July 7, 2009 - Indianapolis, Ind. - U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte warms up before the start of the preliminary rounds on Day 1 of the ConocoPhillips U.S. National Championships and World Championship Trials at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis on Tuesday, July 7.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}


I've photographed plenty of events, including the Olympic Diving Trials last summer, at the natatorium, but when I got there everything was different. It was set up for TV with additional stage lighting installed that while it was contrasty and bright, it still forced me to use high ISO settings. Generally, I will set strobes to photograph a meet, but since I was not considered a Tier 1 photographer I was not allowed to use strobes or get a straight on look at the swimmers. I had to stay to the sides. I understand completely the necessity to have these sort of tiers of importance for different media outlets, and I am not complaining.



_{July 7, 2009 - Indianapolis, Ind. - U.S. Olympic swimmer Ryan Lochte powers through the butterfly leg of the mens 400-meter individual medley preliminaries during Day 1 of the ConocoPhillips U.S. National Championships and World Championship Trials at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis on Tuesday. Lochte finished with the top seed time then won the national championship final with a time of 4:06.40.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}


The fact is pictures still have to be made, even if I can't use the equipment I want to use, stand where I want to stand or have to operate on almost no sleep. So I got done what I needed to do. I made some decent photos, but I could tell I wasn't quite on top of my game. I will try to get back to Indy later in the week for another session at the pool, and maybe this time I'll get something a shade better than the "safe" pictures.

Softball POY

_{Homestead pitcher Jacqui Matheis led the Spartans to a 29-1 record, undefeated regular season, a Class 4A No. 1 ranking and national rankings this season. She was among the state's leaders in earned run average, strikeouts and victories and for her accomplishments Matheis has been named The News-Sentinel's 2008-2009 Prep Sports Softball Player of the Year.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

Though I was not initially thrilled when I learned that I would have to add writing duties to my workload a couple of years back, I've become accustomed to it. Given a choice, I'd certainly prefer to go back to telling stories visually. Unfortunately, in these times that's not an option. But what I do appreciate about my current lot is the fact that when I write a story and shoot the photo I have almost complete control over the entire package. I make the decisions on everything except the design - that's another story for another day.

This week I wrote about Jacqui Matheis, a pitcher from Homestead High School's softball team that went undefeated during the regular season and gained national rankings. Matheis was named The News-Sentinel's Prep Sports Softball Player of the Year.

I photographed her in a couple of portrait settings and a couple of action sequences and made a few pictures that I liked. Jacqui was great to work with. She and catcher Nikki Wilson, who could have easily been named the POY herself, geared up in 90-plus heat and blistering sunshine to get in some practice and for the photo shoot. They even shook off my blunder that forced me to make a run to pick up a piece of gear and the cold bottles of Gatorade that I left at home (luckily just 3 miles away.)

In any case, I made a picture I can live with, I wrote a story I wasn't disappointed with and tonight I'll be shooting minor league baseball at Parkview Field. Things are lookin' pretty good from where I'm standing.

So, if you have a minute and the inclination, check out my story about Jacqui Matheis in the Prep Sports section of News-Sentinel.com.

It's not over 'til ...

_{June 20, 2009 - Indianapolis, Ind. - Spencer Anderson, lower left, reacts after safely sliding across home plate to score the game-winning run, as the Panthers and their fans erupt in celebration, to beat the Westfield Shamrocks 3-2 in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Class 4A state championship game on Saturday at Victory Field in Indianapolis.
Photo by Chad Ryan.}

It's not over until it's over!

It's an old saying with may variations, and in the game of baseball it's just as true today as the first day it was said. Saturday, I covered the Indiana Class 4A state championship game between the Snider Panthers and the Westfield Shamrocks at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

Through the first six and two-thirds innings Westfield pitcher Kyle Kramp, a 45th round draftee of the San Francisco Giants, dominated. He allowed two hits and Snider didn't get its first hit until the fifth inning. But with two outs in the final inning, Indiana high school teams play seven innings, Snider found a way to get a run in. Then still holding a 2-1 lead, Kramp had Snider's Tom Zumbaugh down on an 0-2 count. But he hung a pitch over the plate just enough for Zumbaugh to make contact and it got through the infield for an RBI single to score the tying run. Kramp got out of the inning, but the game moved on to an extra frame.

Snider took advantage. Spencer Anderson hit a lead-off double on relief pitcher Nick Crouse then moved to third on a wild pitch. Westfield loaded the bases on two intentional walks with no outs. Snider catcher Alex Mitchell stepped up and delivered a sacrifice fly ball to right field that gave Anderson enough room to dive into home plate for the game-winner.

Through this tournament, Snider came back from late deficits, as much as six and seven runs, in the three games previous, but they looked like the gas was out of the tank throughout this game. This one looked like the final inning was just a formality, but Snider found a way ... again.

Check News-Sentinel.com for stories and more photos.